This disclosure relates to controlling a frequency of an input voltage to a voltage multiplier ladder to achieve a more optimal operation of the voltage multiplier ladder.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present techniques, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as an admission of any kind.
Electronic radiation generators are used in many downhole tools used for well-logging. The electronic radiation generators may use high-voltage sources to cause charged particles to accelerate toward a target. When the charged particles strike the target, radiation such as neutrons or x-rays may be generated. The radiation may exit the downhole tool and penetrate into a geological formation adjacent a wellbore where the downhole tool is located. Measurements of the radiation that returns to the downhole tool may provide an indication of where hydrocarbon resources may be located, as well as other characteristics of the geology of the formation.
Owing to the constraints of a downhole tool, some high-voltage power supplies to the radiation generators may use a modified Cockcroft-Walton voltage multiplier ladder. In one example, the voltage multiplier ladder may be operated at a constant frequency that is expected to be optimal given the components of the voltage multiplier ladder. Yet the properties of the components of the voltage multiplier ladder may vary substantially as the downhole tool is subjected to the various high temperatures and high pressures that may arise in the well. This may cause the voltage multiplier ladder component characteristics to change, leading to a less-than-optimal operation of the voltage multiplier ladder.